Parable of the Vineyard Owner

Introduction

Ask congregation to stand for the reading of Matthew 21:33-46

What I would like you to understand from this passage by the time we finish is that God is a patient and loving God, but at some point his patience will no longer be extended. His love will always extend, but his patience will not. Unlike the religious leaders of the day, I want you to recognize who Jesus is and be sure that you are honoring Him and not rejecting Him. If you honor Him, it will be a most pleasant time serving Him forever. If you reject Him, you will face judgment and spend eternity separated from Him in Hell.

Three Things I want you to see this evening from our text:

Flawed thinking.

The penalty of judgment.

Rejection of Him will lead to new leadership.

Remember this is a parable of Jesus. So we have a surface story which we read early, but now we are going to take a deeper look into what Jesus is talking about by examining the various parts of the parable and their real meanings. Let’s look at the parts of this story and be sure we have a grasp on who the characters are and what the Vineyard represents.

First is the vineyard. When we look at the language surrounding the vineyard in Matthew 21:33 Where Jesus says, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey,” we should begin to get a picture of Israel. How do we know this represents Israel? Isaiah 5:1–2 says, “Let me sing now for my well-beloved A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it all around, removed its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it And also hewed out a wine vat in it; Then He expected it to produce good grapes, But it produced only worthless ones.” and Isaiah 5:7 says, “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.” This gives us an understanding that Jesus is referring to the house of Israel when he speaks of this vineyard.

Next are the Landlord and the Tenants (or those running the vineyard): The Landlord represents God the Father and the tenants represent the Sons of Israel.

Then we have the slaves which are the followers of God and we have the son who is Jesus Christ.

After we have an understanding of who the Vineyard is and the characters in the story, we can begin to dive into our text where we will look at another term. Matthew 21:34 says, “When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce.” What is the harvest time referring to? It quite literally means the time of the fruits. Although at then end of our text the religious leaders understand who the tenants are in the story, they still missed Jesus’ point. What he desires for them to understand is to see themselves as the tenants, but to change their ways and to be ones who bear fruit.

What’s the fruit Jesus is referring to here? The Fruit of Repentance. He desires for these religious leaders to change their ways because it has been going on since the beginning of time. Matthew 3:8 says, “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;” and Matthew 7:16–20 ““You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits.” Jesus desires for them to change and live their lives differently, but we know they completely miss this point. Why? Matthew 21:46 says, “When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.”

To give us some final context for our passage, I want to be sure that you understand who the slaves represent in this passage. In verses 34-36 we see the slaves are sent to gather the harvest or fruit but horrible things happen to them. They were beaten, killed, and stoned. Who do these slaves represent in the story? I would argue that Jesus is referring to the Old Testament prophets. Those who came to share the good news that a Savior was coming, but were so often rejected even by their own people. Jeremiah 20:1–2 says, “When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 24:20–21 says, “Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus God has said, ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.’ ” So they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the Lord.” Finally, Matthew 14:6–11 “But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.”

Flawed Thinking

What we see here in our text is likely some flawed thinking which led to the demise of the tenants. Matthew 21:37–38 says, “But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’” What’s the flawed thinking here? They most likely the Father was dead because that’s the only way the son’s inheritance could have gone to someone else. Flawed thinking and deciding we know what’s good and what’s evil has been a problem since the beginning of time.

11238 The Christian method of thinking puts the intellect second, not first; the modern view puts intellect on the throne. God does not sum up a man’s worth by his thinking but by the way he expresses his thinking in actual life, that is, by his character.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

Let’s take a look at why we have flawed thinking today. Genesis 3:1–6 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Adam and Eve decided they knew what was best for themselves. They could choose good and evil on their own. Since the beginning of time we have wanted to be on our own thrones and not allow God to be on the throne of our hearts. We have wanted power and authority since the garden, even though we don’t know how to use it as seen in this parable.

Good and evil often have moral connotations associated with them. The real issue at stake was moral knowledge. In “Knowing good and evil,” know means to have mastery over something. So what humans would be able to do is decide for themselves what was good and evil. The problem with this is that we don’t have the capacity to do so because we are so limited.

This has created a great burden on humans. We must now continually decide how we will use the knowledge that we have for good or evil. This isn’t easy, as stated before, because of the limits of our minds.

What does flawed thinking look like for you? Anytime you think you know better than God and you act upon your own ways of thinking and they don’t align with God, your thinking is flawed. If you are not careful, it will lead to your destruction.

Flawed Thinking Examples:

1) When a man says about a woman, it’s okay to look as long as I don’t touch. Matthew 5:28 says, “but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

2) It’s okay to talk about somebody as long as I share it with someone who I know will not say anything. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

3) It’s ok to complain about things, I’m just venting. Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”

4) It’s ok to have a few drinks of alcohol, I know what my limits are. Romans 13:13 “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.”

5) For those unmarried, as long as I love this person and I plan to be with them the rest of my life, then it’s ok for us to be involved in a sexual relationship. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;”

The Penalty of Judgment

Sometimes when we have flawed thinking, the truth will be revealed to us. Often times, we don’t like when this truth is revealed to us because it comes with judgment. Matthew 21:40–41 says, “Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.” In Luke’s account of this same story, we learn the response of the listeners of this story. Luke 20:16 says, “He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!”

The crowd may have been shocked, but Jesus was preparing them for the reality of what was to come. The landowner was coming back to kill these landowners because of what they had done to his son. Jesus is preparing his listeners for what will happen to them as they are about to kill God’s Son and when he comes back He will destroy those who did not repent.

God is looking to help those and will not destroy those who are truly obedient to Him. The latter part of verse 41 says, “God will give the vineyard to the vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”

We need to repent of the haughty way in which we sometimes stand in judgment upon Scripture and must learn to sit humbly under its judgment instead.

John Robert Walmsley Stott (English Preacher)

Truly, when the day of judgment comes, we shall not be examined as to what we have read, but what we have done, not how well we have spoken but how we have lived.

Thomas à Kempis (Ascetical Writer)

Jesus further illustrates his point of judgment by citing a passage from Psalm 118:22–23 “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.” This passage carries a double meaning. At first its speaking of Israel’s rejection, but now that Christ has come it speaks of the rejection He would face. Although the listeners may not have understood that it was referring to Jesus at the time, they soon would know when He is crucified.

Jesus goes on to further explain and make clear what will happen to those who reject the stone. Matthew 21:44 “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

(Mention about the demoniac last night worshippping Jesus before he had been crucified. why are those who are made in his image so quick to reject him after he went to the cross? those who reject Him now deserve to spend eternity with the dermons.

Here’s the truth. You don’t have to reject Him. You just have to place your trust in Him, turn from your ways, and walk in obedience to Him. You can say you believe in Him with your mouth, but the proof is in your bearing of fruit. Your bearing of good fruit will only come when you are in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. When God comes back to this vineyard of earth and you have no fruit to show, He will say depart from me, I never knew you according to Matthew 7:23.

Going back to flawed thinking, people think of hell as this fun, party place where people will have the time of their life. However, the Bible does not describe Hell this way at all.

Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

2 Thessalonians 1:9 “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,”

Matthew 13:50 says, “and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Transfer of Leadership

The reality is when we refuse to change our flawed thinking and we continue to experience His judgment, we can trust that He will transfer leadership to those who will “pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons,” as in verse 41 of our text. If we are not being obedient to the Lord, we can trust that He will find somebody who will.

One warning from Reverend Larry Zaky that I will never forget, and even though I can’t recall the passage right now, the truth still remains. When we aren’t being obedient to God, He will set us to the side for a time until we figure out where we went wrong. He will not use us to do His work as long as we refuse to repent and get right with Him. I can remember Pastor Larry discussing how we are like clay and can be crushed and set to the side and that is no problem for God. I never want to be in that position with God, but I will be if it means punishing me to get me back on the right course.

Consider this quote about Joseph from the Book of Genesis.

Joseph manifests a remarkable capacity, especially for one in a place of leadership, not to be victimized by a troubled past. He refuses to exploit his position of authority to redress grievances against former offenders.

Don N. Howell, Jr.

The leadership that matters most is convictional—deeply convictional.

bio.albertmohler

Higher level of accountability: Exacting obedience is required of those placed as leaders over God’s people. Leadership is stewardship and the higher the level of the former, the greater is the accountability of the latter.

Don N. Howell, Jr.

Jesus desires for you to handle leadership in the right way. The disciples were leaders, so you as a follower of Christ are leaders in your own capacity. Don’t think that I’m just speaking of your pastor or the deacons or the elders of the church. No, you have leadership in taking the gospel to a lost world as well. You have leadership in how you live your lives in front of others so that they may come to know Christ. Are you the servant type leader that Jesus is looking for? If not, you can trust that you will be set aside and He will find someone who will lead with the right convictions.

Conclusion

I pray today that you have learned that God is patient and longsuffering as He waits for you to bear the necessary fruit. He even does this when you are repeatedly and overtly hostile in rebellion against Him because he desires for you to come into right relationship with Him through Christ.

A day is coming in the future when God will have exhausted His patience and those who have refused and rejected Him will be destroyed in eternal punishment.

God’s purposes will never be stopped, he can use you if you are usable or he can transfer His leadership to those who are usable. He is looking for leaders who will produce the fruit of repentance and grow in Christ.

Like the son in our story, Jesus was killed, murdered by the religious leaders of that time, but like the stone, he will also be honored and inflict damage on those who oppose Him and refuse to repent of placing themselves on the throne of their own heart.